Alfonso mercer



A. MERCER, sa.. DEGD.

W WrMERCER. ADIVIINISTRATOIIl FIREARIVI.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. I9I8'.

Patented June 24, 1919.`

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ALFONSO MERCER, SR., OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA; W. W. MERCER ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID ALFONSO MERCER, SR., DECEASED.

msnm.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFONSO MERCER, Sr., a citizenof the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to firearms of various types for shooting projectilesV from shells or the like, and relates particularly to a clip or magazine adapted to be readily connected or attached to and detached from the firearm from which a load ofcartridges or shells may be fired as successively fed thereto from the magazine.

It is one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a magazlne or clip lcapable of holding a charge of cartridges of suitable size, shape and, proporltions, and to eliminate as far as possible the likelihood of the jamming of the cartridges either `in the magazine or clip, or at the breech block of the gun to whichV the clip may be attached.

It is another object of the present "invention to provide a simple, substantiahpracti- -cable and comparatively inexpensive magazine or clip for attachment to a gun of desired form or type, and further to provide means for automatically feeding the cartridges successively` from a chamber in the magazine in which the cartridges lie in laterally contacting arrangement. It is a further object of the invention to prevent the accidental disarrangement of a charge of cartridges after the magazine has been filled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a-magazine or clip of large capacity and in which a series of cartridges may be safely concealed, and which clip is provided with means providing for facile attachment of the clip to the gun or firearm, and which is provided with means for exposing a single cartridge in register with the bore of the gun or rie and with means for precisely deter-- minin the alinement of a single cartridge with t e bore during the action of the piece.

` With these and other objects in view as will be manifest to'those versed in the art, the invention consists in the construction, combination and 1n detalls and organlzaf Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 through the clip and rifle;

Fig. 3'is a detail 'sectional view showing the means for connecting the clip or magazine to the firearm 0r piece.

While have shownthe improve/maga- -z1ne or clip as attached to a rifle having a barrel 2 and a breech block 3, it is obvious lthat it may be adapted to various forms of firearms or ordnance pieces, it simply being necessaryto design the magazine or clip to properly receive, contain and feed the cartridges or shells according to their specified characteristics. In the present instance the breech block to which the barrel 2 is connected is provided with a reci rocating plunger or bolt 4, which may e reciprocated through any suitable means forming no part of the present invention, and therefore not specified, illustrated or described, and within which bolt there is slidable a firing pin 5 which may be automatically projected by means of the spring 6 when released by any suitable trigger mechanism.

A feature of the present invention resides 1n. the magazine which is here shown-as com- Specieation of Letters Patent. Patented J 11924 9 191% Application mea may 2, 191s. serial No. 232,101. y'

prising a casing, generally illustrated at 10,

consisting of a segment or semicircle of an annulus, the bottom of the magazine being in the form of a plate 11` having at its diametrical edge a pair of laterallv projecting lugs or tongues l2 which'are adapted to be' forced into respective seats or transverse slots 13 provided to receive them in suitable locations of the gun structure, in the present instance being disposed below the bore of the barrel and as cut into the stock and casing structure of the gun. Preferably the tongues 12 fit with sufficient frietional resistance in the seats 13 as to insure the substantial holdor magazine when mg in place of the c lli'p attached to the gun. e cartridge chamber is in the present instance .shown asv of fiat arcuate form. and is formed betweeny the upper surface of the plate 11 and the lowerl surface of a cover ring or segment of an annulns 14 spaced above the plate 11, the chamber beingclosed yby an outer peripheral wall 15 so that the cover portion 14 projects centrally, and beyond its inner circular edge there is attached to the plate 11 an annular or segmental rib or ridge 16 spaced from the inner surface of the peripheral wall 15 a distance slightly greater than the length ot the cartridges C which may be arranged radially in the chamber of the housing or cast one end of the plate and the arcuate casing the plate is extended in the form of a lip 17 which enters an aperture provided therefor in the breech block and this lip has an upwardly extending stop or shoulder 18 which has a wall between the inner face of whichv and the adjacent open' end of thev the shoulder or stop 18 and toward the adjacent face of a piston or push member 20 which sweeps with an angular movement through the chamber below the cover plate 14.

In the present case this piston or pusher 20 is shown as secured to the outer end of an arm 21 which is pivotally mounted to swing about axes at the center of the angular housing 10, in the present instance the arm 21 being pivoted on a fixed stud 22 and has a hub 23. The pusher arm 21 is adapted to be automatically advanced in one direction to press the piston 2O against a charge of i cartridges therein by any suitable means and for the purpose of illustration there is connected to the hub 28 of they arm 21 a spiral or volute spring 24 having its end fixed as for instance by la pin 25 t0 the plate 11, although it is obvious that any other type 0f spring may be utilized as may be desired or preferred. The outer end of the arm swings just above the top surface of the ridge or rib 16 forming the bottom 'of the chamber in the housing 10 and may be bent downwardly at right angles if desired where it is attached' to the inner end of the piston 20 which latter preferably snugly fits in the chamber of the housing 10 so as yto firmly support the adjacent cartridge of a series which has been loaded into the magazine.

When loading the magazine the operator simply presses the piston 20 back against the tension of its actuating spring and one at a vtime lowers cartridges in through the way at the stop 18, the cartridges passing beneath. the top 14 of the chamber and sliding .into lateral Contact against each other until the entire arcuate chamber has been iiiled with a series of cartridges which form an arcuate row about the Center 22 and each ofI the cartridges lying in a substantially` gateway at the block 18, which gateway when the clip is attached to the firearm disposes the cartridge therein in axial alinement with the bore of the rearm or piece, whereupon Ibyforward movement of the bolt 4, a single cartridge is'advanced into the firing chaml ber of the barrel and may lbe firedV bythe firing pin at any suitable instant.

Withdrawal of the block causes the extraction of the cartridge in any suitable or usual manner whereupon the next succeeding cartridge in the magazine chamber is rojccted into the gateway as the bolt recedes through the gateway and the loading action may be then again repeated.

In order to prevent disarrangement of a series of cartridges in the magazine chamber from any cause the automatic feeding device, including he piston 20, is held against retrogra e movement by any suitable and appropriate means, comprising in the present vinstance a locking pawl 28 which is pivoted on the outer end of the lever arm 21 and is automatically snapped into locking engagement with respective ratchet teeth 29 which may be formed forinstance on the upper face of the rib or ridge 16, forming one side wall of the magazine chamber, by a spring 30. To enable the loading of the magazine, one end of the latch 28 may be provided with a push button 31, which when pressed downwardly, will hold the pawl 28 from engagement with the ratchet teeth 29.

While it is obvious that this clip may be attached to extend longitudinally along the or series which may have been inserted into the cartridge chamber.,

YWhat is claimed is 1. A detachable magazine for fire-arms or the like, consisting of a fiat, arcuate cartridge chan'iber in which cartridges lie in lateral contact., and radially as to thecenter i of the arc`r the chamber having atv one end a of the fire-arms and alined with the bore of the barrel so that the plunger of the arm will traverse the ateway, means for attaching the magazine to the arm with the plane in which the cartridges lie passing longitudinally through the bore of the arm, and means for advancing the cartridges successively into the gateway from the chamben p' 2. A magazine for lire-arms or the like, consisting of an arcuate, flat casing having a segmental chamber in which the cartridges lie iii radial order and laterally in contact in a common plane, one end of the casing having a gateway insertible into the arm and across the gun bore so that cartridges may be adva ced therefrom by the bolt of the gun, an automatic means for movingl the cartridges edgewiseinto and in the plane in which the cartridges rest in the chamber of the magazine.

3. A magazine for firearms or the like,

consisting of a segmental casing having a flat, segmental cartridge chamber terminating at one end in a gateway insertible into the side of the arm, means for connecting the casing to an arm with the gateway so disposed as to aline a cartridge therein with the bore of the arm, and yieldable means for automatically feeding the cartridges later-v ally through the chamber and way, the cartridges lying radially in an arc and in a plane of the axis of the bore.

4. A magazine for firearms or the like, consisting of a stationary segmental casing having a plane arcuate cartridge chamber terminating at one end in a gateway in the plane of the chamber, means for connecting the casing to a firearm with the gateway so disposed as to aline 'the latter with thebore of the arm, means operating along the chamber for automatically feeding the charge of cartridges laterally through the chamber and into the gateway and without digressing from the plane of the chamber, and means for locking the feeding means at successive positions thereof.

5. A`magazine for rearms or the like, consisting of a segment-al casing having a liat arcuate cartridge chamber, in wliich cartridges lie radially terminating at one end in a gateway substantially radial to the chamber, means for connecting the casing to an arm with the gateway so disposed as to aline a cartridge therein with the bore .of the arm, means for automatically feeding the charge of cartridges laterally through the chamber and into the gateway, said means comprising an angularly movable piston, and a spring fori actuating it, the cartridges always lying 1n a common plane.

6. vThe combination with a firearm having a breech casing with a plunger and firing pin; of a magazine detachably con- 7. The combination with a rearm'having a breech casingwith a bolt and firing pin, o a magazine detachably connectible to the side of the arm and having an arcuate chamber',- for a charge of cartridges, the magazine having a gateway registrable with the gun bore and through which the said I. bolt Works to load the arm. from the gainto the gate-.

way, and means on the magazine for automatically laterally advancing the cartridges in the chamber, said means including a radial lever swinging on the aXis of the Aarc of the chamber and having a piston on its outer end engaging the last of the series of cartridges in the magazine, and a device for actuating the lever.

8. The combination with a rearm having a breech casing with a bolt and' firing pin, of a magazine detachablyl connectible to the side of the arm and having an arcuate chamber, for a charge of cartridges, terminating in a gateway registrable with the gun bore and through which the said plunger works to load the arm Jfrom the gateway, means on the magazine for automatically laterally advancingj:t the cartridges in the chamber, and' 

